triceratops

American  

[trahy-ser-uh-tops] / traɪˈsɛr əˌtɒps /

noun

1. any of various dinosaurs of the genus Triceratops, of the late Cretaceous Period, having a bony crest on the neck, a long horn over each eye, and a shorter horn on the nose.

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triceratops British  

/ traɪˈsɛrəˌtɒps /

noun

1. any rhinoceros-like herbivorous dinosaur of the ornithischian genus Triceratops, of Cretaceous times, having a heavily armoured neck and three horns on the skull

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triceratops Scientific  

/ trī-sĕr′ə-tŏps′ /

1. A large herbivorous dinosaur of the genus Triceratops of the late Cretaceous Period, measuring up to 7.6 m (25 ft) in length. Triceratops had a squat, tanklike body, a beaklike mouth with a short horn over it, and a long horn over each eye. The back of its neck was covered with a wide, bony plate.

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Etymology

Origin of triceratops

First recorded in 1890–95; from New Latin, from Greek trikérat(os) “three-horned” + ṓps “face, eye”; see origin at tri-, cerat-, eye

Explanation

The triceratops was a three-horned dinosaur that lived on the Earth about 68 million years ago. If you're a budding paleontologist, you might want to visit the Museum of Natural History in New York City to see a fossilized triceratops skeleton. The triceratops is one of the most easily recognized dinosaurs—it looked a little bit like a rhinoceros. Archaeologists have found many triceratops bones over the years, starting as early as 1889, including complete skeletons, which is why we know a lot about how this dinosaur lived. Triceratops was an herbivore that was probably preyed on by tyrannosaurus. Its three horns may have been used for self-defense, or for courtship and displaying dominance among other triceratops.

Example Sentences

To better understand what filled that space, researchers including a team from the University of Tokyo analyzed CT scans of fossilized Triceratops skulls.

From Science Daily • Feb. 22, 2026

Phillips added more natural-history offerings, including a $5.4 million Triceratops.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

The hollow brow horns found in Lokiceratops, for example, are also present in the oldest adult Triceratops, he said, while the asymmetrical horn spike on the frill could be a quirk of genetics.

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2024

DNA degrades too rapidly for us to ever even hope to get genetic material from a T. rex or Triceratops.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2024

“I kind of expected to see a giant Triceratops skeleton carved halfway out of the ground,” I comment.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman